Having come from a Baptist background the only thing I knew about Lent was that it was probably a misspelling of the stuff that you clean out of the dryer. It was not until I went to Young Harris College that I even heard the word, much less had it explained to me. Consequently, I never partook in the Lenten celebration. Even as an adult, I have never felt the urging to participate, until this year.
For those who are not exactly certain what Lent is, allow me to offer the definition from Dictionary.com:
“An annual season of fasting and penitence in preparation for Easter, beginning on Ash Wednesday and lasting 40 weekdays to Easter, observed by Roman Catholic, Anglican, and certain other churches.”
Fasting and penitence … sounds fascinating, huh? Well, fascinating or not, it seemed the Lord was calling me to participate this year. As I pondered the matter on Ash Wednesday, I tried to decide what I would give up, or fast. I’m not a chocoholic, so that never crossed my mind. I don’t spend inordinate amounts of time on social media, so I didn’t feel led in that direction. What would it be?
I asked the Lord what I should fast during Lent, and the Holy Spirit plastered Philippians 2:14 (NIV) on the walls of my mind. I could do nothing but follow His lead.
“Do everything without complaining or arguing ….”
Well, alrighty then! If I want to focus on Jesus and His work on the cross, and be more like Jesus, then I need to stop complaining.
“Hmmmpfff! I don’t do a lot of complaining,” my smug self told the Holy Spirit. “This should be pretty easy.”
I think in the distance I heard Almighty God laughing out loud.
About twenty-four hours in, I realized I might have been a bit too smug about the level of my complaining. Forty-eight hours in found me ‘telling’ our Australian daughter, Bree, about something someone else had done that had not pleased my heart. Suddenly, she looked dead-on at me, and in her most charming Australian accent said, “Weren’t you giving up complaining for Lent?”
BUSTED! I had not even realized I was complaining. Oh Sweet Mercy! I still had thirty-seven days left. This was going to be much more difficult than I had anticipated.
The next morning I spent time repenting of my spirit of complaining, and asking the Lord to help me be aware of when I complain. I’m certain He has a mind to answer that prayer. Probably I should just go ahead and duct tape my mouth closed for the next thirty something days. Alas, there is the pesky problem of my thought life. I may not voice my complaints, but I sure think them. Perhaps a long acting sleeping medication is what I need. You know, Rip van Winkle-ish for the next forty days.
What about you? Are you pegging your complaining meter out like I am inclined to do? It is a huge issue, friends. Are you doing everything without complaining?
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Leah Adams describes herself as the “prodigal son’s sister” after spending several years walking far from the Lord in her twenties. Helping others understand the grace that is offered by Jesus to anyone who will accept it is the passion of Leah’s heart. In a works-based and failure-prone society, grace is a concept that many people have difficulty grasping, and Leah’s speaking and writing ministry, called The Point Ministries, seeks to point others straight to Jesus and his amazing grace. Although her ministry is to all women, Leah has a heart for reaching those who are part of the Generation X and Millennial groups with the love of Jesus.
An author and communicator, Leah lives in northern Georgia with her husband, Greg, who is also her dentist. She holds a Doctor of Pharmacy Degree from Mercer University School of Pharmacy. Leah is a CLASS certified speaker and is the author of a Bible study entitled, From the Trash Pile to the Treasure Chest: Creating a Godly Legacy, as well as a devotion book entitled, When Words Won’t Come. Her second Bible study, HeBrews: A Better Blend, will be released by Warner Press in the summer of 2014. In her free time, Leah enjoys reading, cooking, camping and sharing girlfriend time. You can visit Leah at her website, www.leahadams.org. She can also be found on Facebook (Leah Adams – The Point Ministries) or Twitter (@PointMinistries).
PS: Leave a comment today to win a copy of one of Leah’s books – your choice. I’ll pick a winner with my next post.
Leah, you’re such a strong leader for many of us. I appreciate your willingness to give your heart to this matter of Lent and the great matter of not complaining. I certainly need to work on this area. Thank you for being here and taking the time to share your convictions with us. You’re one of the most authentic women I know. I’m so glad we’re friends.
Elaine, I, too, am glad we are friends. My heart is for the encouragement of women, and others, to walk more intimately with Jesus. Complaining is something God speaks clearly to in the Word, so it is something we need to deal with in our hearts and lives. Thank you for allowing me a bit of space in your blog home.
I found a little time to go through my inbox today and was pleasantly surprised to have a chance to get to know you better Leah! I think it is funny that we have many mutual friends, but never connected until Arabah Joy pulled us into the Bible study.
I’ve had to slap my heart a LOT this year, as I’ve been caught complaining about the length of winter more than 100x … Still going.
Would love to read what you’ve written. Love the title of your new study too!
Thank you Kathy. It is a blessing to be linked with you in community.
Leah:
This was such a ‘good reminder’ post! I know full well that I also have heard God laughing out loud at some of my declarations…
I am also of a similar background where Lent was not celebrated per se, but I think it’s a good and serious time to address some of these things that need to be given up, and certainly complaining creeps into most of our lists.
Thanks for the good word today!
Sonja, isn’t it interesting how God broadens our horizons, spiritually, all the while cleaning up our hearts. I love it. Thanks for stopping by.
“Hmmmpfff! I don’t do a lot of complaining,” … Ha, I probably might have said the same thing, yet, truth be told, if I had a recording of my day both verbal and thought, I would probably be Shocked!! More of us should think about (pray about) our character traits and how we can allow God to change some of our less lovely ones! Blessings to you Elaine, Cindy
Cindy,
It has been a bit of a shock to me to discover how much I complain. Pop over to my blog TODAY (Tuesday, March 25th) for part 2 of this Lenten story. Thanks for stopping by.
I think I probably complain a lot when I don’t even realize I’m doing it — not to mention the times I know I’m complaining. Goodness. This would be a good thing to give up during Lent and beyond as well. Great food for thought, Leah.
Cheryl, it truly has been an eye opener for me. So glad you stopped in. Blessings to you.
I apologize to anyone whose comments have been deleted. I experienced some blog problems this afternoon. We had to re-install some programming, and I’m afraid some comments were deleted. Feel free to comment again, so you can be included in the give-away.
Oh my can I relate. I probably couldn’t hold out for an hour! Such a good reminder this post is. I certainly enjoyed reading it and will take a deeper look at what I might change about myself.
Could definitely used a lot less complaining in my life…on FaceBook…at work…just saying!!
Count me in!!
Pamela
We were chuckling…because we can totally relate. Oh, yes we can!
I’ve heard Him laughing too at some of my antics. Fortunately I’ve learned to laugh with Him when He finds me out for the complainer or shirker that I am. I LOVE his parenting. He never lets me get away with things, but the ways He uses to show me myself are quite kind and often fun in a droll kind of way. He’s a lot more fun than many people give him credit for.
So glad I came across your blog today. I’ll come again soon to visit.
Wishing you glimpses of heaven in unexpected places.
Glad for your visit, Brenda. You are welcome in this place. Blessings!